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S; STEVEN SON, OF DANSVILLE, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 83,7 41, dated Noe-ember 3, 1868.

IMPROVED CARPET-STRETCHER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all. whom it may cancer-n Be it known that I, S. STEVENSON, of DZI-DSVlllQ, in

the county of Livingston, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Carpet-Stretcher; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make andus'e'the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved device of the same to the floor, and admit of the work being to facilitate thestretching-of carpets, and the tacking done by a single-person, without any trouble or dilficulty whatever.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my invention.

Figure 2, a side sectional View of the same, taken in the line a: as, fig. 1.

Figure 3, a detached view of a lever: employed in the operation of the machine.

Figure .4, a section of fig. 1, taken in the line 51 3 Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The fi'ame of the device is composed of two side pieces, a a, connected by cross-bars b c.

The front ends of the side-pieces a a have each a book, A,- secured in them said hooks being designed to penetrate the floor on which the carpet is to be stretched and secured, and hold the device in position, aswill he understood by referring to fig. 2.

13 represents a bar or headpiece, which is not attached to the flame of the device, but is fitted between its side-pieces a a.

To the under side of this bar or head-piece B, there is attached a metal plate, 0, the front edge of which is slitted, and the portion of metal between the slits bent down to form spurs, d, to catch into the carpet D, as shown in fig. 2.

The plate 0 has two r2ck-bars, E E, attached, said bars extending from its rear edge at right angles; and the cross-bar c has two pawls, F F, secured to it to engage with the rack-bars.

The bar or head-piece B has a series of holes, e, made through it, the distance between the holes being equal to the distance required between the tacks when driven through the carpet into the floor.

The holes 0 have each two metal strips, f j, inserted in them, which form what maybe termed a clamp.

The tacks are inserted inthese holes, one at a time, points downward, and they are held in position by the clamps, as shown in fig. 4.

The device is used as follows:

The holes 0 are supplied each with a tack, as shown in red in fig. 2, and the carpet being laid upon the floor, and secured to the same at one end of the room, the device is fitted to the floor, at the opposite end, at

one corner, the hooks A being driven in the floor against the baseboard or surbase g. ,(See fig. 2.)

- The teeth or spurs d, of the plate 0, are then fitted into or engaged with the carpet, within a short distance of its edge, and a bar, G, flattened at one end to catch against the teeth of the rack-bars E, is pressed against the racks at the rear of the device, the operator pressing first against one lack-bar, and then against the other, until the head-piece comes in contact with the base-board or surbase g. i

The tacks in the headpiece are then driven through the carpet into the floor by means of the end, h, of the bar G, which is made of cylindrical form for that purpose.

v The pawls F F are then thrown back from the rackbars E E, and the device raised from the floor, and secured to the same by the side ofthe-tacked portion of the carpet, and' a succeeding portion of the carpet tacked, and so on.

The device, it willv be seen, may be used by one person with the greatest facility. I

I would remark that one rack-bar, E, and consequently one pawl, F, may be suificient.

I would further remark that the bar G may be provided with a claw, a for the purpose of pulling out tacks, when required.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The head-piece B, having the.toothed plate 0 attached, and provided with the rack-bars E E, in connection with the pawls F F, on the framing of the device, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. Providing the head-piece B with a serieslof holes, 2, with orwithout the .clamps f, for the purpose of facilitating the tacking down of the carpet, as described. 1 f

3. The bar G, when constructed to be used in combination with the racks E, pawls F, and perforated head-piece B, as herein described, for the purpose specified.

S. STEVENSON. Witnesses G. R. KERN, L. KUHN. 

